


Seven Times Seven

by WhistleWhileYouWork



Category: Shrek (Movies), Shrek The Musical - Tesori/Lindsay-Abaire
Genre: Character Study, Drinking to Cope, Into the Woods References, Loss of Parent(s), Slice of Life, little boy blue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24896953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhistleWhileYouWork/pseuds/WhistleWhileYouWork
Summary: Seven drabbles, one every seven years in Maximus Farquaad's life.  Major family highlights covered (mother's death, father's abandonment, wedding/death), with some bonus scenes thrown in as well (hey-yo to BFF Little Boy Blue, Mr. Wolf, and Don Diego Vega y'all!).  Strong musical-verse timeline, compatible with movie.
Kudos: 2





	Seven Times Seven

**Author's Note:**

> Don't shoot me for making this comparison, but I've been thinking a lot about the musical verse parallels with the current BLM movement (demonization of 'other' ("when they look at us, they tend to make a fuss"), state control of children ("the rules are very clear - now you're seven, so it's time to go away"), police brutality ("Story of my Life"), redlining ("it's important that you find a cozy cesspit, somewhere no one would ever dare to tread"), to name a few). I was surprised at the dearth of fic on here exploring these connections (maybe I've been spoiled by the bounty over in HP land), so here's me giving it a go. Hopefully more will come, from others as well as me - I'd love to read some more perspectives in the same vein if anyone has recommendations :).
> 
> If you haven't heard the musical soundtrack, I strongly recommend giving it a listen (or better yet, watch the professional video recording of the show (available on Netflix, at least in my region)) :)

#### Seven

At the age of seven, Max lost his mother.

He wasn’t quite sure how it had happened – one night she put him to bed, and after oversleeping the next morning, he stumbled into his parents’ room to find his father on the floor next to their towering bed, sobbing into his mother’s lifeless body.

“What happened?”

His father gave a great shout of rage, startling Max back out the door. An hour later his father left, taking the body with him. He returned alone long after moonrise, reeking of whiskey, not bothering to check if Max was okay (he wasn’t).

#### Fourteen

At the age of fourteen, Max lost his best friend.

He and Little Boy Blue were following the sheep on the spring ranging, wandering from meadow to meadow over several weeks. Max’s father never noticed when he was gone for long stretches. When Mr. Wolf Silver-tongue came strolling over the crest of the hill, Blue convinced Max to guard the sheep while he parleyed in the forest. When Mr. Silver-tongue returned alone, licking his chops and cradling a new bulge in his belly, Max abandoned the sheep and sprinted away.

Every night after that Max woke screaming, he vowed revenge.

#### Twenty-one

At the age of twenty-one, Max lost hope.

No one wanted to hire the boy who had lost an entire flock of sheep (it was seven years ago – get over it already!). Standing all of four-foot-six didn’t seem to properly project strength and inspire confidence either. Each day Max sneered at his father shuffling off to the mines, clothes eternally covered in mine-dust, and promised himself that by evening, he would have a job, a good job, above ground. Each evening, Max sulked in his dedicated corner of the Ugly Duckling and cursed his no good, dirty-rotten, mother-slaying midget father.

#### Twenty-eight

At the age of twenty-eight, Max lost his father.

He stumbled home from the pub to find his bed and belongings loaded into a peddler’s wagon in the yard.

“Why’s my stuff in the yard?”

“Son, you’ve been freeloading off me for too long. You’re an adult – this is for your own good.”

“Cow poo. You can’t kick me out.”

“You can sleep in the cart tonight. In the morning I’ll hitch up Janey with a carrot in front of her nose and she’ll be on her way.”

“Where?”

“Take your pick. I promise, it’s a big bright beautiful world.”

#### Thirty-five

At the age of thirty-five, Max found a mentor.

Don Diego Vega dressed like a gentleman, drank like a sailor, and fought like a winner.

“Fighting is all about how people think,” he told Max. “People are driven by their fears. Being able to manage other people’s fears gives you power over them.”

Listening carefully, Max topped off his new friend’s glass.

“I have a lot of fears,” he confided.

“That’s good. You need to have fears to understand them and use them. Just don’t let it show.”

That night, Max accepted Don Vega’s offer to join him at court.

#### Forty-two

At the age of forty-two, Max officially took power over the kingdom of Duloc.

Seven years of watching, listening, and learning moved him from gopher to secret-keeper to confident to Royal Advisor, collecting a lordship along the way. When King Leopold finally passed, Max (now going by Maximus), was perfectly positioned to bully, bribe, and blackmail his way into the parliamentary votes to proclaim him Lord Protector of the Realm.

His first act was to commission a new palace. His second was to ban fairy tale creatures within city limits. His third was to choose the ceremonial moniker ‘Lord Farquaad’.

#### Forty-nine

At the age of forty-nine, Max was eaten by a dragon.

It was basically an Act of God, being caught up from behind by a dragon crashing through the cathedral feature-window behind you on the day of your wedding. After all, dragons had been banned for decades!

And then there was the whole ogre-princess thing. To be honest, he was more relieved to have escaped that trap than he was upset about the dragon. This sort of thing was exactly why he had worked so hard to purify Duloc!

At least he died a king. Mother would have been proud.


End file.
